And this thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam: The Masoretic Text reads “And by this thing became sin of the house of Jeroboam.” But this makes no sense. Most modern translations follow the Septuagint and make a slight correction to the Hebrew text to read “this thing” instead of “by this thing.” They also change “sin of the house of Jeroboam” to “sin for the house of Jeroboam.” New Jerusalem Bible may provide a useful model for other languages with “Such conduct made the House of Jeroboam a sinful House.” As often in the books of 1–2 Kings, house means “dynasty” (Moffatt, Good News Translation; see 12.19).

In some languages it may be necessary to make the meaning of this thing more explicit. God’s Word does so by saying “Appointing illegal priests became the sin of Jeroboam’s family.”

To cut it off and to destroy it from the face of the earth are parallel in thought. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “to their utter annihilation from the face of the earth.”

The expression from the face of the earth is figurative language that suggests total destruction in which not one of Jeroboam’s descendants will be allowed to live.

The time reference in the second half of this verse must be clearly understood. From the perspective of the author, who was writing many years later, the destruction had already taken place. But at this point in the story of 1–2 Kings, Jeroboam’s descendants had not been destroyed, as the Good News Translation rendering may incorrectly suggest. Revised English Bible may provide a useful model by saying “doomed it to utter destruction.” This clearly implies that the destruction will take place in the future. New American Bible is similar with “it was to be cut off and destroyed from the earth.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .